How Journals Can Twist and Manipulate Vaccine Research

President and co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, Barbara Loe Fisher, speaks to Russia Today about the dangers of the swine flu versus the H1N1 vaccine, and what the latest vaccine recall means for you.

Children and the elderly are the two age groups that appear to have the most complications following an influenza infection.

Influenza has a viral origin and often results in an acute respiratory illness affecting the lower or upper parts respiratory tract, or both. Viruses are mainly of two subtypes (A or B) and spread periodically during the autumn-winter months. Many other viruses however, can also cause illness of the respiratory tract.

Public health efforts to contain the virus rely mainly on widespread vaccination. Recent policy from several internationally-recognized institutions recommends immunization of healthy children from the age of six months and up.

In their 2008 update of a review done in 2006, Cochrane authors found a marked difference between vaccine “efficacy” versus their effectiveness.

Although these two terms are oftentimes used interchangeably in daily conversation, when used in a medical context they confer two different meanings.

“Efficacy” means the extent to which a specific intervention produces a therapeutic effect, or a beneficial result under ideal conditions. The protective efficacy of a vaccine is determined on what is called “antibody titer”.

A simplified explanation is that the antibody titer is a measurement of the amount of antibodies produced in your body that recognize a particular antigen (virus).

“Effectiveness,” on the other hand, shows the intervention’s capacity for producing the intended or expected result. In the case of a flu vaccine, the intended result would be considered its capacity to prevent influenza illness.

In children over the age of 2, nasal spray vaccines made from weakened live viruses had an:

Efficacy of 82 percent compared with placebo or no intervention
Effectiveness of 33 percent
In children over the age of 2, inactivated (injectable) vaccines had an:

Efficacy of 59 percent compared to live vaccines
Effectiveness of 36 percent
In children under 2, the efficacy of inactivated vaccine was similar to placebo.


Sources:

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009 Issue 4

Hepatitis B vaccine - All don`t need it

HEPATITIS B VACCINE -- ALL DON`T NEED IT.
94 % of the people exposed to Hepatitis B recover, in 1% the disease may become fulminant and may result in death. In 5% the disease may become chronic out of which 4% may become healthy carriers and 1 % may develop cirrhosis of liver and cancer. Actually it’s for the fear of the patients becoming chronic and possibility of cancer liver that vaccination is being propagated.

Hepatitis B and cancer liver
How real is the danger of cancer liver occurring in a patient in whom the disease has become chronic? It is already stated that only 1 % of the people infected by Hepatitis B may develop cancer liver. Cancer occurs after a long period of chronic liver disease frequently associated with cirrhosis. It is reported that chronic infections resulting from maternal and neonatal transmission present a greater risk of cancer liver than those acquired as adults.
It is also suggested that other independent co-operative factors might be implicated. In certain parts of South Africa and is southern province of mainland China, an association of dietary aflatoxins and cancer liver has been recognised in several studies ( Yeh and other in 1989 and Bosch & Munoz 1991). The carcinogenic potential of aflatoxins B in liver cells is well known. Excessive alcohol intake also increases the risk of liver cancer in Hepatitis B patients. In addition, preliminary data indicate that infection with human hepatitis delta virus, which causes extremely severe hepatic injury and cirrhosis might be associated with a more rapid onset of liver cancer (Oliver and other 1991). Hepatitis B infection alone or associated with co-operate factors can be implicated in only 20% liver cancer patients in low endemic areas. In Japan where the incidence of liver cancer has been continuously increasing, the number of cases related to hepatitis B remains constant. It is therefore clear that the danger of cancer liver occurring in hepatitis B patients is very small and when it occurs it may be due to other factors also working.

What is Hepatitis B vaccine?
Hepatitis B vaccine is used to prevent the disease. There are two types of
Vaccines available.
a) First generation, plasma derived heat-inactivated vaccine.
b) Second generation, genetically engineered or recombinant vaccine.

Presently the recombinant vaccine is widely used. In this technology a gene from hepatitis B virus is introduced into yeast cells so that they could produce a viral protein. After purification this viral protein could be given as vaccine.
Two strains of yeast are used for producing the vaccine i.e. saccharemyces cerevisine or pichla pastoris.
Vaccines using hybrid particles and chemically synthesized vaccines are also developed presently.

Duration of protection after vaccination.
According to Merck and Company, the duration of the protective effect of the vaccine in healthy vaccinees is unknown at present and the need for booster dose is not identified. In fact approximately 10 % of patients who receive vaccine will fail to develop immunity.

Dangers of Hepatitis B vaccination.
There are many side effects of Hepatitis B vaccination. In India there is no follow up of patients after vaccination and hence the complications and adverse reactions are not reported. Doctors refuse to believe that many adverse reactions reported by the patient are due to the vaccination itself.
Professor Bonnie Dunbar Ph.D., a professor of cellular biology at (Houston, U.S.A) has investigated the hepatitis vaccine reactions and found that many people were affected with severe autoimmune and neurological complications in children. In adult’s serious rashes, joint pains, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and lupus like symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis and neurological dysfunction.
Dr Philip Incao M.D. , a private physician in a testimony before Ohio house of representatives, Columbus, Ohio, on march 1, 1999 stated that there are many reports in international medical literature even dating as far back as 1987 stating that hepatitis B vaccination is causing chronic autoimmune and neurological diseases in children and adults.
In 1996 alone there were 172 serious adverse reactions in children fewer than 14 years (NVIC, USA) and there were 13 deaths after hepatitis B vaccine alone. On May 18, 1999, there was an U.S. senate congressional hearing hepatitis B vaccine. During the hearing many witnesses complained that following hepatitis B vaccine complications like autis sclerosis, paralysis, arthritis, mental confusion and death have occurred. Prof Bonnie Dunbar stated that many of the adverse reactions are due to the virus.
Dr. Barthelow Classen, M.D. claimed a 60% increase in diabetes in New Zealand following massive hepatitis B vaccination. After reviewing 81 scientific articles Dr Buston A waisbren has tabled the neurologic and autoimmune diseases attributed to Hepatitis B vaccine.
a. Convulsions. b. Bell’s palsy c. Lumbar neuropathy d. Optic neuritis e. Transverse myelitis f. Polyneuropathy g. Myasthenia gravis h. Demyelination i. Multiple Sclerosis j. Guiliian Barre syndrome k. Encephalitis l. Uveitis.

During a testimony before the sub committee on criminal justice, drug policy and human reforms in the U.S. house of representatives, Ms. Patti White, a registered nurse has stated that the children who received the first trial of hepatitis B vaccine in 1990 developed developmental disorders, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders and serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and seizure disorders. As the hepatitis B vaccine increased, the percentage of damaged children also increased. She also stated that “ in 25 years of nursing I have never seen so many damaged sick kids.” The NVIC U.S.A reported that newborn infants are dying shortly after their shots. Dr Byron Hyde has testified before the Quebec college of physicians that there were many reports of Chronic fatigue syndrome after hepatitis B vaccination. A report was presented at national Rheumatology meeting in 1997, entitled “ An Epidemic of rheumatoid arthritis caused by Hepatitis B Vaccine “ . There was a FDA (Food and drugs administration USA) list of 23,000 adverse reactions after vaccination, mostly occurring in adults. The symptoms included chronic fatigue syndrome, neurological disorders, neuritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus like syndrome. The head of FDA remarked that the list represents only 1/10 Th of the total number of reactions.

New Zealand Medical Journal (24/5/96) reported a 60 % increase in diabetes following vaccination program. On 27-1-1999 NVIC released figures which show that the number of hepatitis B vaccine associated serious adverse events and death reports in American children under the age of 14 out number the reported cases reported cases of hepatitis B disease in that age group.

VAERS (U.S.) reported that between July 1 1990 and Oct 1998 there were 24,775 hepatitis B vaccine related adverse events in all age groups, including 9,673 serious adverse events and 439 deaths.

In May 1999 during a hearing by house oversight sub committee on federal health policy, Rep John Mica stated that he found that serious reactions after hepatitis B vaccination were 16 times greater than the incidence of the disease.

American doctors call for moratorium on Hepatitis B vaccine for school children.
Representing the association of American physicians and surgeons Dr. Orient, the executive director demanded a moratorium on hepatitis B vaccine for school children. He stated that child younger than 14 years are three times more likely to die or suffer adverse reactions after hepatitis B vaccines than to catch the disease.
Dr. Orient also condemned the practice of giving hepatitis B vaccine combined with other vaccines. He further stated that using school children as research subjects, subjecting them to unproved medical treatment without informed consent is in violation of the Nuremberg code and if school administrators and government bureaucrats were subject to that code, they could be prosecuted as war criminals.

Only for children born to infected mothers.
U.S. Federal authorities no longer advocate that new borns receive hepatitis B vaccine, unless they are born to infected mothers.

France suspends mass immunization of hepatitis B vaccine
In 1998 French attorneys representing 15,000 French citizens have filed a lawsuit against French government, accusing it of understating the vaccine risks and exaggerating the benefits for the average person. One French physician collected data of more than 600 people suffering from serious reactions after vaccination.
In 1998, following a court order to pay roughly 23,000 dollars against Smith Kline Beecham, France has suspended mass hepatitis B vaccination four years after the mass immunization program started. Smith Kline Beecham produces Hepatitis B vaccine and victim of multiple sclerosis, which appeared as a complication of hepatitis B vaccination filed the suit. Another ruling is also pending against another French pharmaceutical company for similar complaint.
Nothing is known about long term effects of this vaccine as no large scale; long term-controlled studies have been conducted even in U.S.A.

Hepatitis B vaccine contains mercury
A joint statement issued by U.S. Public health services and the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a joint statement on 7-7-1999 demanded that mercury content in hepatitis B vaccine must be eliminated and all new born should not be vaccinated. Thimmersol, a mercury compound is used as a preservative in hepatitis B vaccine and other vaccines also. It can cause brain damage.

Who should receive vaccine?
According to recommendation of communicable disease Control and Epidemiology ( CDC – USA) vaccination should be given in following situations :
1. Parenteral exposure of an infant born to HbsAg positive mother.
2. Inadvertent exposure to an HbsAg positive blood.
3. Sexual exposure to an HbsAg positive person. And
4. Household exposure of an infant less than 12 months of age to a primary case giver who has acute hepatitis B.

Mass vaccination camps unjustified
Mass vaccination camps, which are in vogue in some parts of country by some organizations, are wholly unjustified. Mass vaccination camps against Hepatitis B or any other communicable disease are justified only when there is an epidemic or threat of out break of an epidemic of the diseases. In absence of such a situation mass vaccination camps are thoroughly unjustified and are being promoted for reasons other than scientific.

Nexus between medical groups and vaccine manufacturers
Nexus between individual physicians or medical groups or voluntary organizations and equipment / drug/ vaccine manufacturers is a well-known phenomenon. In this regard, Dr. Orient, the executive director of American association of Physicians and Surgeons has this to say: “ We suspect financial ties between medical groups such as American Medical Association and American Pediatric Association which endorse this vaccine.” He pointed out the substantial donation by Merck and co. to A.P.P. DR. Waisberon, M.S. in his paper, “ Universal Hepatitis B vaccine – Is it a sword of Damocles hanging” says “ in view of what has been discussed, it is a source of wonderment that members of the centre for disease control and prevention and the American Medical Association, State medical societies, the academy of pediatrics and many other public health agencies have endorsed the idea of that hepatitis B vaccine should be given to every newborn in the U.S.A. How has this come about inspite of the fact that the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved of this use and that this has to be considered “ an off label use” . An important factor in this regard is undoubtedly the fact that market of hepatitis B vaccine can run into billions of dollars. Merck, Sharpe and Dohme are said to have sold 240 million dollars worth of this vaccine in 1992. Imaginative and effective promotional methods have been developed by American Pharmaceutical industry. They have hired scientists who publish articles in prestigious journals about vaccines but also fail to mention their dangers. They often fail to mention authors` connection to the manufacturers of the vaccine. They also hire scientists who just prior to their employment were in charge of monitoring the safety of their vaccines. Whether the promotional methods mentioned are ethical and desirable will have to be decided by the profession and perhaps I the courts.
In India presently two companies Shanta biotech and Bharat Biotech located in Hyderabad have been manufacturing Hepatitis B vaccine and also promoting vaccination programs very aggressively. Neither Indian Physician nor the medical groups being saints, a mutually beneficial relationship between these and the above two companies cannot be ruled out. The manner in which these companies are sponsoring various organisations conducting mass vaccination programs and the massive advertisements in print media, in the name of organizations and individual physicians certainly point out to a possible unholy relationship between them which cannot be in the interest of medicine or people.

Effective, safest and economical way of preventing Hepatitis B disease
Everyone agrees that hepatitis B just like any other disease should be prevented. Whatever the method is chosen it should be not only effective but safe and economical to the people. Indiscriminate vaccination of everyone is neither effective nor economical.
The most important target group must be the newborn children of carrier women. These children must be vaccinated after assessing the carrier status of the mother. It is therefore necessary for all the pregnant women to be tested for HbsAg. This is more cost effective than vaccinating everyone and is devoid of any of the side effects associated with the vaccine.
In the case of other groups, prevention is much easier and they do not need vaccine routinely. All blood transfusions shall be given only after testing the blood for HbsAg. Massive education against use of unsterile syringes and needles, and avoidance of multiple sex partners must be undertaken. If all people, including doctors and health workers take these precautions there is no necessity for Hepatitis B vaccine.

Emphasis on basic essentials of life
Major part of budget allocation for health should be spent on improving the resistance of people to various diseases through providing shelters, food, clothing and protected water. In fact this is more economical in the long run.
Vaccines shall not be given to premature newborns, malnourished, anaemic and under weight children and children with other communicable diseases.

Right of information
Every parent of child vaccinated and any other person vaccinated must be informed before vaccination of the risks involved and the adverse reactions likely to occur. Thus informed consent for vaccination either by parent or any other individual shall be mandatory.

Human beings, not mere number’s!
Massive vaccination camps are a game of numbers. The emphasis is to vaccinate as many numbers of people as possible and obtain monetary or other type of reward. It is almost like disposal of files in the office. Proper records are lacking and most importantly there is no follow up. In the interest of science and the health of people, those who are vaccinated should be asked to report back to a physician if any adverse reactions occur.

Legal responsibility for adverse reactions
If a child or an adult is vaccinated without an informed consent, the legal responsibility for the adverse reactions lies with the physicians who have vaccinated, as also the promoters whether they are voluntary organizations, drug manufacturers or the government itself.




Conclusions

Not all people need Hepatitis B vaccination.
Newborn infants born to carrier mothers must be vaccinated after confirming the carrier status of pregnant women.
New born infants born to HbsAg negative mothers should not be vaccinated.
In others the effective, safest and economical measures of prevention are avoiding the following:
HbsAg Positive blood transfusion.
Multiple sex partners.
Unsterile syringes and needles.

The emphasis of on the part of government should be to promote health of people and their resistance to various diseases by providing basic essentials of life to everyone i.e. shelter, food, clothing, sanitation, protected water and gainful employment.

If vaccination is done without informed consent, the physician who has vaccinated and promoter of vaccine shall be held legally responsible for any adverse reaction.

Dr. P.V.R Bhaskara Rao. M.S. F.I.A.C.S

Autism and its treatment in Homoeopathy

Autism and its treatment in Homoeopathy

Autism is now acquiring an epidemic status around the world, rising by enormous proportions in some areas. Considering that it is a lifelong developmental disability, it leads to a kind of despair and feelings of hopelessness in the parents.

Autism, a neurological disorder, begins in early childhood (typically during the first three years of life) and affects three crucial areas of development: verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play. Other characteristics may include repetitive and ritualistic behavior, hand-flapping, spinning or running in circles, excessive self-stimulation, self-injury, aggression, reduced sensitivity to pain, temper tantrums, and sleeping and eating disturbances. To put it simply, autism is a term used to describe children who are socially withdrawn and preoccupied with routine; who struggle to acquire spoken language yet often possess intellectual gifts that rule out the diagnosis of mental retardation.

The world appears to be a mass of people, places and events for people with autism and this causes a considerable anxiety in them. It can be hard to create awareness of autism as people with the condition do not ‘look’ disabled; parents of children with autism often say that other people simply think their child is naughty.

The exact cause of autism is unknown. However, research suggests that a combination of factors - genetic and environmental may account for changes in brain development like vaccines, heavy metal toxicity, nutritional deficiencies/imbalances, food allergies, viruses, immune dysfunction and problems in the birthing process. “Vaccine induced autism” is under scrutiny with the hypothesis that immune response generated by MMR vaccine damages the nerve sheaths leading to this neurological disorder.

The phenomenon of early infantile autism was first observed in early 1940s, a few years after the pertussis vaccine became more widely used in United States.

Some researchers say that children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.

Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains, including oats, rye, barley and foods made from those grains. They are also found in food starches, semolina, malt, some vinegars, soy sauce, flavorings and artificial colors and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.

Casein is a protein found in milk and products containing milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, whey and even some brands of margarine.

Foods that can be eaten on a gluten-free, casein-free diet include rice, potato, buckwheat flour, soy, corn, fruits, vegetables, beans, tapioca, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, nuts, eggs, and sorghum.

Homoeopathic perspective

Homoeopathy and other natural treatments have recently come into focus as effective treatments for autistic spectrum disorders.

The reasons as to why homoeopathic medicines are preferred for this disorder are -

1. Homoeopathic medicines are safe natural non-toxic substances without side effects.
2. Homoeopathy is a safe effective alternative to Drugs like Ritalin etc. which have lasting side effects.
3. The positive effects seen with homoeopathic treatment are lasting.
4. With Homoeopathic treatment healing takes place at Physical, mental and emotional levels.
5. Homoeopathy results in growth spurts in children and does not alter or suppress normal development of the child.

Before starting homoeopathic treatment the evaluation of the child on an autism rating scale is a must. Improvements by the treatment are to be interpreted by periodical assessments.

As most of the cases are already under the allopathic treatment, the following strategy can be charted out for them -

If the allopathic medication has not shown any improvement in the child or severe side effects have resulted from them, then it is best to stop them before starting homoeopathic treatment.

In cases where there is some benefit to child with the allopathic treatment and the parents are looking for a safer and more effective treatment, homoeopathy is the best alternative. In these cases Homoeopathic treatment can be started concurrently and the allopathic medicine can be weaned off as the homoeopathic medicine begins to show positive effects. In this way, more safe and effective treatment can be provided.

Homoeopathy medicine is also compatible with other therapies such as Speech therapy, Occupational Therapy. The beneficial effects of Homoeopathy on the child will be more to the delight of his therapists and care givers who will find the child more compliant to learning.

In a study on effects of homoeopathic medicines on autism triad carried over for four years at Bangalore, the results were encouraging with improvement in behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, temper tantrums, attention span, concentration and focus. Improvement was also noted in speech, language and communication skills. The social skills /eye contact and the fine motor skills also improved substantiating the claims of homoeopathy in autistic spectrum disorders.

Prompted by the miraculous cure of her son’s autism with homoeopathy Amy lansky has written a book “Impossible Cure: The promise of homoeopathy”. In this book, she illustrates that true cure of the root causes of illness is possible with careful homeopathic treatment over months or even years. Ms Lansky effectively presents cases and arguments of how homeopathic medicines effectively stimulate a person's innate healing mechanisms to allow chronic or acute disease to be eventually resolved.

The focus of homeopathy is not to treat the isolated symptoms of Autism but to treat the child as a whole. In addition to the symptoms of Autism, the general physical and mental constitution of the patient, past medical history, medical history of parents, information about pregnancy and vaccination - are used to find the probable cause in a given case and based on the final analysis a remedy is chosen for a patient.

Dr Dushyant Kamal Dhari

M.D. (Hom)

Vaccinations - The Darker side.

Vaccinations - The Darker Side

There is a wide spread assumption that vaccinations of the young children against infectious diseases are good thing both for the children themselves and the community as a whole. This leads to further assumption that the vaccination of all children would eliminate these diseases with general increase of health. However a search of medical literature on the subject indicates that there is another side of this.

THE PRINCIPLE OF VACCINATION: By injecting the vaccine directly into body an important part of usual system of building up of an immune response to a foreign material is bypassed. For example a child inhales measles virus in a droplet thrown into air by coughing or sneezing of an infected child, nothing appears to happen during the ten to fourteen day incubation period. But under the surface the virus begins to multiply first in tonsils & adenoids & then in lymph nodes before entering the blood. Hence the virus reaches the spleen, liver, thymus and bone marrow which together form a major part of the immune system. By the time first symptoms of the measles become obvious, the immune system has started to produce antibodies against the virus and these are detectable in blood. When the symptoms reach their peak and the characteristic rash has appeared, the antibodies have also reached their maximum number.

The symptoms represent the body’s efforts to clear the virus from the blood and the virus is coughed out by very route through which it entered.

In this way, the entire immune system is profoundly stimulated and not only will the child who recovers from measles remain immune to it for life but he or she will be able to respond rapidly and effectively to any subsequent infections. It has long been suggested that infectious diseases are necessary for maturation of the immune system in a healthy child.

As a result of injecting vaccine directly into the body, only the antibody response is stimulated, not he generalised inflammatory response and viral elements from the vaccine may persist in body for long afterwards. Due to this vaccinations may actually suppress the immune response in the same way that radiation, cancer, chemotherapy and corticosteroid drugs.

A link between increased incidence of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and leukemia and increase in vaccinations is also being probed.

Small Pox: - Jenner developed vaccine for small pox in 1796. There are two things of interest around this time of Jenner`s work. First is that James Phipps, an eight-year-old boy initially vaccinated by Jenner in 1796, was

re-vaccinated 20 times, died at the age of twenty.
Second Jenner`s own son, who was also vaccinated more than once, died at the age of twenty-one. Both succumbed to tuberculosis, a condition that some researchers have linked to small pox vaccination.

Another thing of importance is that small pox and other communicable diseases were declining before vaccination programs were enforced. This may be attributed to the sanitary reforms and nutritional teachings instituted around mid 1800s, as other communicable diseases for which no vaccination was available were also declining at the same time.

The interesting thing however is that incidence of small pox actually increased once vaccination programs were instituted. In Jenner`s time, there were only few cases of smallpox in England. After more than fifteen years of mandatory vaccinations, 1860-71 alone more than 23000 people died from the disease. Later, in Japan, nearly 29000 people died in just seven years under a stringent compulsory vaccination and re-vaccination program.

This increase in smallpox cases deaths was associated with a noticeable lack of protection. For example in Germany over 124000 people died of smallpox during the same epidemic. All had been vaccinated. Additionally, hospital records consistently show that about 90 percent of all smallpox cases occurred after the individual was vaccinated.

This lack of efficacy and increase in disease incidence, while other communicable diseases were on decline, led to the refusal of small pox vaccination by some countries. This resulted in drop of the incidence of the disease that is quite remarkable. In Australia, when two children died from smallpox shots, the government terminated compulsory vaccinations. As a result smallpox virtually disappeared from that country.

Polio: This is another disease for which people assume that vaccination has made a difference in incidence. From 1923 to 1953, before the Salk killed virus vaccine was introduced, the polio death rate in USA and England had already declined on its own by 47 percent and 55 percent respectively.

When vaccines became available, many European countries questioned its effectiveness and refused to systematically inoculate their citizens. Yet Polio epidemics also ended in these countries as well.

As with smallpox vaccine, the number of reported cases of polio following mass inoculations with killed virus vaccine were significantly greater than before mass vaccinations.

In 1976, Dr Jones Salk testified that the live virus vaccine, used almost exclusively in USA since early 60`s was “ the principle if not the solo cause ‘ of all reported polio cases in USA since 1960.

Few days back in a popular Indian TV show children of a village were shown. All of them got affected with polio after taking polio drops.

MMR: When this vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella was launched in 1988, it was implied that a single dose would provide life long protection against all three diseases. Yet if we look further at just one component of this vaccine – Rubella, there is little evidence to show that vaccine induced immunity to disease is complete or as long lasting as immunity acquired by having the disease.

Rubella is generally mild in childhood but may damage the unborn child if a woman contracts the disease in early pregnancy.

In USA, where MMR Vaccine has been available for more than 10 years, a number of studies have shown that a proportion of children have no evidence of immunity to rubella in blood tests taken four to five years after vaccination.

A Danish study has shown that when measles has been suppressed in childhood by vaccination so that the typical rash was not shown but antibodies were made, there was a predisposition to develop arthritis, dermatitis and bone diseases later in life. A 1991 study by Marvin Krober revealed that even a simple coryza could neutralize the vaccine.

The information supplied to doctors by the manufacturers of MMR Vaccine lists the following – Immediate allergic reactions, Febrile convulsions, Swelling of lymph glands, Temporary arthritic symptoms, transient disturbance of nervous system including one sided paralysis, deafness and encephalitis. Some of these symptoms may not develop until several weeks after the injection.

DPT: The major controversy over the use of Peruses (Whooping Cough) vaccine has been the possibility of Brain damage. Data published form Glasgow in 1977 showed that the vaccine offered little protection to infants under the age of six months, the most dangerous time to get this disease and the majority of the older children who suffered the disease had been fully vaccinated.

Known effects are: Sudden death of an previously completely healthy child (Sudden infant death syndrome); inconsolable crying, more or less severe brain damage appearing within a given time period after inoculation;

Localized redness, swelling, induration and pain at the site of vaccination; Exceptionally high fevers, pronounced sleepiness, strabismus, epileptic seizures, hemiplegia, paraplegia and epileptoid convulsions. These are the effects for which the children may suffer for the rest of their lives and which are remarkably resistant to therapy. A number of less obvious damages are hyperactivity beginning for the time of vaccination, learning disabilities, dyslexia, reading disorders, character flaws appearing in the aftermath.

Due to these harmful side effects the US congress passed the “National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act ” for the children who were damaged by the side effects of the vaccines.

Measles Vaccine: Measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, yet in US and

England, from 1915 to 1958, a greater than 95 percent decline in measles death rate had already occurred. In addition, the death rate from measles in Mid 1970`s i.e. several years after vaccine had been introduced remained as same as in early 1960`s i.e. several years before the vaccine was introduced.

According to a study by WHO, chances are 14 times greater that those vaccinated against the disease than those who are not vaccinated will contract measles.

It has been determined that the measles vaccine may cause ataxia, learning disabilities, retardation, aseptic meningitis, seizure disorders, paralysis and death. It has also been investigated as a possible cause for multiple sclerosis, blood clotting disorders and juvenile onset diabetes.

Another additional harmful effect is that the disease has changed form and now affects primarily a different age group. The peak incidence of measles no longer occurs in children but in adolescents and young adults.

Also before the vaccine was introduced, it was extremely rare for an infant to contract measles. However by 1993 more than 25% of all measles cases were occurring in babies under a year of age. This is attributed to the growing number of mothers who were vaccinated during the last 30 years and therefore have no natural immunity of their own to pass on to their children.

BCG: This vaccine is used as preventive against tuberculosis. Few weeks back in all major newspapers a report from Indian Council of Medical Research said that this vaccine is a failure and it has actually lead to an increase in the number of tuberculosis patients.

There is no scientific evidence so far that mass vaccination can be credited with eliminating any childhood infectious disease. The incidence of diphtheria was already declining before vaccine started in 1940`s. Some, once common diseases have become less widespread and serious through

increased standards of hygiene and nutrition. Scarlet fever is now rare disease and yet a vaccine has never been developed against it.

Where a vaccine offers only a limited protection against a disease, changed symptoms may appear causing difficulty with diagnosis and treatment.
For example, some vaccinated children have been shown to have whooping cough, although the traditional whoop was absent.

As WHO maintains, “ The best vaccine against common infectious diseases is an adequate diet”. By active promotion of good health through varied diet containing plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, a child is less susceptible to disease and when it does occur, he or she is in a good position to deal with it effectively.

Dr Dushyant Kamal Dhari

09-01-2000 Daily Excelsior.